A group advocating for the rights of sexual abuse victims is outraged by a letter the Archdiocese of Chicago intends to distribute to all parishioners.
SNAP, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping victims who were sexually abused by priests, is protesting the letter, penned by Cardinal Francis George and released by the Illinois-based diocese earlier this week.
In the letter that will be distributed or read at all Chicago Catholic churches, George announced that documents related to substantiated abuse claims implicating at least 30 current and former archdiocese priests will be made public later this month. The documents will be turned over to victims’ attorneys George also apologized to the victims for the abuse they suffered.
Spokespeople for SNAP call the letter “self-serving and deceitful,” as it provides only the names of priests whose victims have already come forward and taken legal action. SNAP is calling on Chicago priests refuse to read the letter and instead read out loud lists of all proven, admitted and credibly-accused clergymen about whom the church is aware in an effort to prevent more children from being hurt. The group organized a protest against the release of the letter outside of Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago earlier this week.
According to an article in the Chicago Tribune, the disclosure will “provide the broadest look yet at how the country’s third-largest archdiocese handled abuse claims in recent decades in addition to offering detailed accounts of the pain endured by dozens of victims.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually abused, please do not hesitate to contact Copeley Law. You can call us toll free at (919) 627-1356 or use the contact form to the right of this article.